The present invention relates to a self-extinguishing polymer composition, and particularly to a self-extinguishing polymer composition which is suitable for use in the fields of extrusion molded products such as wire coatings and pipes and injection molded products such as domestic electrical containers and electrical equipment connectors, and which has an extremely high degree of non-flammability and significantly improved practicability with respect to mechanical properties and acid resistance.
In recent years, the demand for imparting flame retardance to materials used for wire cables has significantly increased.
One example of a method of imparting flame retardance to thermoplastic resin or elastomers is a method in which antimony oxide and a halide are mixed in the raw materials used. Self-extinguishing compositions formed by this method, however, involve the danger of generating harmful gases during a fire. For this reason, hydrated metal compounds such as aluminum hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide or compounds thereof with magnesium carbonate have attracted attention because they generate no harmful gases and involve no problem with respect to toxicity as additives.
This method in which flame retardance is imparted to a thermoplastic resin or elastomer by compounding a hydrated metal compound therewith is already known. It is also known that flame retardance can be improved by adding a fine carbon powder to a composition containing a thermoplastic resin or elastomer and a hydrated metal compound (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 46341/1976).
Although the above-mentioned compound system is provided with a satisfactory level of flame retardance, there has been a problem in that it is very difficult to obtain a composition having a satisfactory level of practicability because whitening occurs in a resin composition having the above-described composition when any external force is applied thereto and because the resin composition exhibits a low level of acid resistance.